November 10, 2013, 7:00AM

In the year since AL.com highlighted the cost of war in Afghanistan -- in financial and human terms -- Alabama has lost one soldier in combat. With the war winding down, fewer soldiers are in harm's way and the cost-of-war clock has slowed. Full story »

November 08, 2013, 5:00AM

Increasingly, VA hospitals across the country are providing more painkillers to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans at excessively high rates. The result can feed addictions and contribute to fatal overdoses. Full story »

November 06, 2013, 11:59AM

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ regional office in Montgomery has the nation’s sixth-highest pending claims at the appeals level, according to a report released today by Allsup. The analysis shows Montgomery has 11,014 pending appeals claims in 2013, part of a national backlog that the VA has tried to cut into over the past year. Montgomery ranks behind only... Full story »

November 21, 2012, 6:00AM

When Mordecai “Mawk” Arnold returned from fighting World War II, he and his fellow U.S. servicemen got parades. When they came back three decades later from Vietnam, they got scorn. Whether major U.S. wars in the past were popular or unpopular, opinions ran strong. Now Arnold, who lives outside Mobile in Daphne and will turn 89 this month, sees... Full story »

November 08, 2012, 7:04PM

According to an economic impact study commissioned by the Guard, state taxpayers spent an average of $5.5 million a year to support operations, while the federal government spent an average of $435.5 million. That's about $79 federal dollars for every state dollar. Full story »

November 08, 2012, 6:42PM

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Alabama National Guard has had 18,000 individual deployments to support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Only six states have a larger authorized force strength. Full story »